


Different kinds of Darkness

by fanetjuh



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2017-09-27
Packaged: 2019-01-06 03:07:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12202671
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanetjuh/pseuds/fanetjuh
Summary: Cheryl Blossom knows better than anyone how one moment can haunt you forever. But we all get the choice. Either we stay afraid of the darkness for the rest of our lives. Or we embrace the darkness. She encourages Archie to do the latter.





	Different kinds of Darkness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [singsongsung](https://archiveofourown.org/users/singsongsung/gifts).



> Based on a quote from "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas

_The Darkness that frightens_

He squeezed his eyes while he tried to focus on the words written on the chalkboard in front of him. His gaze was blurry and he had to fight the urge to rest his tired head on his table. 

“Archie?” Cheryl Blossom, a beautiful girl with hair almost as red as her lips, leaned towards him. Her shoulder brushed his slightly and she raised her eyebrows while he locked her glance with his. “Having sleeping problems?” Her face barely showed any emotion, but this was the girl who had tried to drown herself in ice cold water. This was the girl who had burned her own house down to get a new start. Maybe this was the only girl who knew how he was feeling right now. 

“Nightmares.” Archie Andrews leaned back in his chair. He didn’t even know which class he was attending. “Every time I close my eyes I hear the gunshot. I see my father falling down on the floor over and over again.”

“You don’t dare to sleep anymore, then?” Cheryl cocked her head while she kept on making notes. Her grades had suffered from everything that had happened with her brother and Archie knew that his grades would soon start to suffer from everything that had happened to his dad too. 

“Exactly…” He agreed with her. 

He had tried everything he could to tell his mind that it was okay, that he didn’t need to be afraid of the dark. He had tried to leave the door of his bedroom open. He had tried to close the window. He had tried to check all locks at least a thousand times. He had tried to play some calming music. 

But nothing seemed to sooth the echo of the gunshot, nothing seemed to erase the image of his father falling down on the floor. 

“It will pass.” Cheryl shrugged her shoulders. Her handwriting was neat and Archie played with the thought to ask her if he could maybe borrow her notes so he could copy them. “I know that. My brother died and my nightmares disappeared. Your father is still alive. Your nightmares will disappear too.” 

“When did your nightmares stop? How long did it take?” Archie had almost forgotten that he was in a classroom, but even if his classmates or the teacher could hear them, they didn’t dare to say something about it.

“When my brother’s killer died.” Her voice sounded nonchalant, almost as if she was telling someone else’s story, almost as if she had not been part of her own story at all. 

“Right…” Archie took a deep breath and he tried to focus on the chalkboard again.

But Cheryl Blossom had planted a small seed in the back of his mind and over time it could grow into something disastrous. 

 

_The Darkness that soothes_

“Is this spot free?” Cheryl curled her bright red lips up into a slight smile. She already knew the answer before Archie could give it. 

Veronica and Betty were working on a case and even though they had asked Archie to help them, he had not felt like he could contribute anything useful in his current state. They were probably capable of focussing on other cases, but Archie was not. 

“It’s free.” He watched how Cheryl sat down.

She wore a skirt that was probably against most clothing rules, but no one, not even the principal, dared to say something about it. Her tight shirt accentuated her breasts, but it was the twinkling necklace she was wearing that caught the most attention. Cheryl Blossom seemed to come from a different planet, instead of simply a different part of town. 

“Do you want to know what really stopped my nightmares?” Cheryl interrupted the silence while she took a bite of her sandwich, her sharp and bright red nails buried in the bread. “Instead of being afraid of the darkness, I made the darkness my friend.” She took another bite and for a long few minutes she chewed without even attempting to speak again. 

“How?” Archie shook his head while he straightened his back. He placed his arms on the table in front of him and he leaned a little towards the fascinating red head. 

Cheryl was not known for her kindness or her will to help, but maybe he was not the only one looking for understanding, for comfort, for someone who knew how he felt. “How can I be afraid of something that’s a part of me?” Cheryl cocked her head and she placed that what was still left of her sandwich on her plate in front of her. “I stopped fearing that darkness inside of me.” She leaned over the table and reached for his hand. “And you should stop fearing yours.” She entwined her fingers with his. 

Archie felt a shiver rolling down his spine, but a warmth raced through his veins. His skin burned where it touched hers, but instead of pulling his hand back he closed his eyes and enjoyed the fire burning brighter and brighter inside of him. “I can stop the nightmare if I become the very thing I am afraid of.”

Cheryl’s smile widened. “I knew that you and I would understand each other.” She squeezed his hand once more. “Let's talk about this some more after school. Can we meet at your place?” 

Archie nodded.

“I’ll be there at eight.”

 

_The Darkness that is restful_

Archie looked up from his study book when the doorbell rang. When his eyes found the alarm clock on the shelve he saw that it was eight. Eight sharp. A smile spread across his face and he stood up from his chair while he placed the book on the table in front of the television.

His house was messy. The first few times Cheryl had come over he had attempted to clean up. He had thrown the empty pizza boxes away. He had tried to organize the letters, bills and papers. He had even emptied the table so they would have a place to put their full coffee mugs. 

But even if Cheryl had noticed that the table had been fuller each time she had come, she had not said something about it. And even if she had seen that the letters, bills and papers had started to pile up, she had not once asked him about it. She had not even blinked when he had forgotten about two pizza boxes a week after her first visit. 

Archie couldn’t imagine Cheryl’s place looking like this too, with the dirt and the responsibilities piling up while everyone was still incapable of doing something to change it. But somehow she had understood that Archie could only fight one demon at a time. He would start with his nightmares, with the constant echo of the gunshot, with the persistent image of his father crashing down on the cold and hard floor. Because if he could win that fight, dealing with the rest would only be easier. Much easier. 

Her heels ticked on the floor when she stepped into the house. Over the last few weeks she had started to feel more and more at home here, but he still took her jacket from her and placed it on a chair, because the coat rack had come down a few days ago. 

The first few times they had talked. They had talked about the nightmares. They had talked about her brother and his father. They had talked about their anger, their panic, their sadness. And they had talked about their longing for justice. 

Now they no longer needed words to tell each other everything. One glance and they knew how the other was doing. One nod and all their questions were answered. They were perfectly comfortable spending an entire evening on the couch next to each other without interrupting the calming silence surrounding them.

 

_The Darkness of lovers_

Archie barely noticed the titles rolling over the screen. He had forgotten to turn the lights on and the television only brightened the living room enough to see vague silhouettes of the furniture and the lamps. 

“You’re not afraid anymore, are you?” Cheryl’s voice was nothing but a soft whisper and she placed her hand on his upper leg. Her nails almost pierced his jeans, but her other hand grabbed his arm, scratching his delicate skin. 

“No.” Archie shook his head. His heart was racing in his chest, but it wasn’t because he was afraid. 

The echo of the gunshot had faded days ago already. The image of his collapsing father was nothing but a constant reminder that he was stronger than everything that had tried to destroy him and his family. 

“Good…” Cheryl’s hand disappeared under his shirt. Even though her hand was cold, he felt his skin glowing wherever she touched it. “I've grown to like the darkness.” She let the tips of her fingers linger over his stomach. “People are braver in the dark. People do things they would not do if they would see what they are doing.” She pulled her hand back and then she pulled her own dress over her head. She was wearing nothing but her underwear now and Archie dropped his jaw while he allowed his glance to wander over her almost naked body. 

He felt his muscles tensing and the more seconds passed, the more uncomfortable his jeans started to be. 

“I've always known that you and I would understand each other.” Cheryl sat on his lap, her knees pressing to his hips. “I've always known that you and I would somehow find each other.” She pulled his shirt over his head and she pressed the palms of her hands to his cheeks. 

While she leaned in Archie held his breath, but then her lips touched his and his lips parted. While his tongue circled around hers, he placed his hands in her sides to slowly shove them up until they were resting on her ribs. 

“There is no need to stop, Archie.” Cheryl pulled back and her hand moved down his neck, over his chest and his stomach until she placed it on the growing bulge only contained by the stiff material of his pants. “You and me, me and you, we will be everything.” She opened the button of his jeans and she stood up to shove his pants down. “Together we can do everything we want to do.”

 

_The Darkness of assassins_

The moonlight shone on the wrinkled sheets barely covering their naked bodies. The door of his bedroom was closed and he had even hung up the do not disturb sign, even though there was no one who would bother them. Once in a while a car passed the house, but for most of the time it was silent apart from their own breathing. 

Pearls of sweat covered his skin from head to toe and his chest was moving up and down rapidly. But despite the last hour he could not fall asleep. Or maybe because of the last hour he could not fall asleep. Instead he stared at the ceiling with his eyes wide open and the adrenaline still rushing through his veins.

“Archie?” Cheryl lifted her head up. Her blood red lips formed a smile and she placed a hand in his neck. “Are you still awake?” Her voice was nothing but a soft whisper, a soothing whisper capable of making him forget the entire world. “Poor boy…” She rolled herself on top of him and her lips lingered above his. “I have a surprise for you though.” She kissed him. She kissed him again and again and Archie kissed her back while he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her body was still glowing and he could feel the heat coming off of her. 

“A surprise?” He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His heart was hammering against his ribs while he locked his glance with hers. “What kind of surprise?” 

“One you will like.” She closed her eyes, giving in to the kiss completely as if she had forgotten that she was in the middle of a story. Only after a few minutes she continued. “I know who almost killed your father.” She left a trail of kisses on his cheek and his neck. “I know where we can find him.” She pressed her lips on his chest while crawling backwards. “And I know when he will be there all alone.” She looked up, but Archie didn’t dare to move. “Do you want to go talk to him? Do you want to ask him some questions?” She cocked her head and Archie eventually managed to nod.

He wanted more than just talking to him. He wanted more than just asking him questions. But he knew that he wouldn’t have to say that out loud.

Cheryl knew what he wanted and she was going to help him. She was going to help him to end his nightmare for once and for all.


End file.
